By Alana Gold, Registered Dietitian

Counting carbs? You’re not alone—about 20% of Americans are presently on some form of a low-carbohydrate diet. From low-carbohydrate products flooding supermarket shelves to low-carbohydrate-friendly restaurants, it seems like the buzz word these day is low-carb. But, what does low-carb really mean? Will eating low-carb really get rid of those unwanted pounds? Truestar Health is here to make sense of low-carb diets and explain how they work, who benefits from them and how to follow them the healthy way.

Why go low-carb?
With many of us trying to lose weight, millions have turned to variations of the popular low-carb diet for answers. One reason for this may be that the standard North American diet, supported by traditional food guides and pyramids, supplies as much as 60 to 70% of total calories from carbohydrates. With obesity rates soaring, the food guide/pyramid is now under review, taking into consideration such things such as the lack of distinction between “good” complex carbohydrates and “bad” simple carbohydrates as well as the appropriate amount of carbohydrates for optimum health. New research even suggests that following the food pyramids/guides may actually promote rather than prevent disease processes such as heart disease.

How do they work?
Low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss are based on the theory that when we eat too many carbohydrates and the wrong types of carbohydrates our bodies process them in a way that promotes weight gain; therefore, by reducing carbohydrates you will lose weight. But what constitutes low-carb? Some diets totally restrict carbohydrates while others, like the Truestar Nutrition Plan, only moderately restrict carbohydrates, allowing 40% of calories to come from good carbohydrates.

How low should you go?
In the body, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, the body’s main energy source. In the absence of carbohydrates, our body begins burning stored carbohydrates (glycogen) for energy. When your body starts burning glycogen, water is released. Therefore, the initial weight loss is mostly water. When your glycogen stores are depleted, your body then goes into a state where it burns its own fat stores for energy. This is called ketosis and occurs only in those individuals are on very low-carbohydrate diets for prolonged periods of time (greater than three months). Ketosis can have negative effects on the heart, nervous system, bones and kidneys.

Truestar meal plans do not put you in a state of ketosis. On the contrary, we focus on moderately reducing carbohydrates and recommend the right carbohydrates for weight loss. When we eat simple carbohydrates (called high glycemic index foods) such as products made from white sugar and white flour, the carbohydrates enter the bloodstream quickly causing blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. A large amount of the hormone insulin is then secreted to rapidly lower blood sugar levels.

Excess insulin not only causes weakness, headaches and fatigue, it also gets stored as fat. Alternatively, complex carbohydrates (called low glycemic index foods) such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains are broken down slowly in the body causing fewer rises in blood sugar levels, less insulin secretion and ultimately less fat storage.

Who benefits from low-carb diets?
Reduced carbohydrate diets such as the Truestar Weight Loss Program can help adults achieve weight loss goals and better health. Low-carb diets are not suitable for children due to their increased energy and nutrient needs for optimum growth and development. See our meal plans for kids.

In particular, people who are overweight or obese or who have type 2 diabetes see great weight loss results on a lower-carb diet. These individuals tend to have a condition called insulin resistance, where the cells that convert carbohydrates into glucose (energy) do not work properly, resulting in high levels of insulin to be secreted but not used efficiently. High levels of insulin can contribute to the storage of fat and to the possible increased risk of heart disease, blood pressure, elevated triglycerides and low HDL “good” cholesterol levels—a cluster called syndrome X.

Getting carb smart
At Truestar, we recommend a hormonally balanced nutritional regimen including a moderate reduction in carbohydrates (40%) along with lean proteins (30%) and essential fats (30%). Balanced eating helps to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels, controls hunger and keeps weight in check. We recommend eating moderate amounts of healthier complex carbohydrates such as unrefined whole grains like whole-wheat flour, brown rice, spelt, kamut, barley and slow-cooking oats, legumes, fruits and vegetables. These healthier carbohydrates not only provide efficient fuel for the body but also provide disease-fighting nutrients that processed, simple carbohydrates do not supply.

To find out more about our successful method of eating that ensures healthy weight loss, visit the 40:30:30 Method of Eating.

Final thoughts
The biggest misconception people have is that carbohydrates are the enemy and should be avoided. In fact, moderately low-carb diets, like Truestar, should be embraced and followed because they work, they promote health and well-being and they can be sustained for life. Completely eliminating a food group such as proteins, fats or carbohydrates from your diet is not a good idea.

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